A Million Reasons
by LLockedOut
Summary: He was kneeling behind her, full lips inches from her ear. "You have spunk, I like that" he said lowly. Negan stood to his full height and walked around to stand in front of her. "You're not kneeling because you want to, you're kneeling because you know you have to." A malicious grin spread across his face. "I see the fight in your eyes, dollface. I wanna break that." NeganxOFC
1. Family

Tired, dirty, and anxious.

That's all Riley felt for a while. The apocalypse hadn't been kind in the beginning, not that anyone would expect it to be. There were times when she couldn't remember when she last felt completely clean and wasn't running off a few hours sleep. Her stomach had always had a small pang of hungry to it. There was never a moment when Riley hadn't been on her toes, always alert to any oncoming threat. She could barely remember what life was like before all this. Running around, dodging the animated corpses, and trying to find a form of food or shelter. This was what life had become. The end of the world came and went, leaving humanity in an awkward mix of extinction and rebuild.

When it all first happened, she had been living with her twin brother Kyle in Virginia Beach. After her life had gone to shit in New York Riley had decided she needed a change of pace for a while. Like always, Kyle was there. Her move was supposed to be temporary until she found out what she wanted to do next. However the universe had other plans because a couple of month later is when hell on earth happened. When the reality of the situation sunk in the twins packed what they needed and headed out to find some form of salvation. At the time they had thought that was possible. There was always something in the movies, the scientist with the cure or the secret hideout. But the twins soon realized this wasn't the movies. All they found were more people like them. More lost and hopeless souls. They had started their journey by heading north (they had heard a rumor of a government safe house is D.C, though it turned out to be false), and as time went on their pair soon became a group. Riley found it funny how everyone fell into a role once they joined. No matter what a person did before the apocalypse they had some underlying version of themselves that was ready for this kind of thing. Some people took charge while other fell into more task specific roles. A man by the name of Ryan slowly became the unofficial leader of their group. He was in his late 50s and had a strong determination. He was a cop before the world went to hell. The twins had run into Ryan's group early on. He had been travelling with a pregnant woman named Rose, a man named Tyson along with his boyfriend Jeremy, and Clara. They had run into each other in an abandoned strip mall. Ryan and his people had been hiding out in a walk in clinic due to Rose starting going into labour. Kyle had jumped in to help, barely explaining that he had gone to med school, and started shouting instructions. After the baby was delivered, the group had rested a couple days together until Rose had enough strength to continue. In those few days together they decided it was better to stick together. Kyle could help Rose with the baby and they could provide more together than apart. Utility soon turned into trust and companionship. That's when everyone fell into their roles.

Ryan started to be looked up to for decisions, and Riley slowly became Ryan's right hand. They'd plan the runs and where to take shelter for the night. Tyson and Jeremy were on their college track team and were the go-to guys for supply runs. They were quicker than any walkers and had a silent connection keeping them in sync. With Clara's knowledge of the road from her experience as a truck driver and Rose's old love for cooking shoes, they had a pretty solid group. As the months went on they added about 20 more people to their numbers. Everyone eventually found a role to play.

About a year later they settled in a firehouse near Fairfax. It had a large fenced yard in the back that was used for training and ample sleeping quarters. They were able to plant a few crops in the back after finding some seeds, as well as put another fence around the outside to keep any walkers out despite the strong walls of the fire hall. After a couple months the world felt almost normal again. Supply runs became habit, the walking dead were just an everyday nuisance, and their group really felt like a family. Time passed and they continued to live their new lives. They hadn't run into any other survivors that had been more than a group of three or four, and even that hadn't been for a few weeks.

Riley slowly started to be grateful for the apocalypse. With her life hitting a wall months before, the walking dead were almost a blessing. It was a new start. Not ideal but a new start all the same. The brunette fell renewed in her new role in life, quite content sitting in the meeting room in their firehouse, planning the next run.

* * *

"You payin' attention, kid?"

Riley blinked her eyes at the sound of Ryan's gruff voice, not realizing she had zoned out. Her chocolate obs moved from the window to her friend sitting in front of her. "I'm thirty, boss" she replied with a lazy grin. "Hardly a kid."

The pair were sitting across from each other with a large wooden desk separating them. It was covered with papers containing various supply lists and hand drawn maps of the area. Ryan gave a snort like laugh and gestured back to the map. "I was asking where you thought we should head to next. We've scavenged everything close by at the point."

Ryan and Riley had been discussing their groups next run in the room that became their command centre. It had been the main office of the firehall back in the day. Now it was home to planning the future of their group and all their decisions. It had luckily already had maps of the area filed away which proved very useful to the pair. They used them to keep track of their movement outside the building and anything (or anyone) they may have encountered. The exposed brick walls and leather furniture became a haven for Riley, feeling completely at home and in her element within the large room.

She realized she had started to zone away again and adjusted her position in the chair. The woman tucked her legs under herself and leaned forward in her chair. She propped herself up on one elbow and hummed in thought, pointed at a spot on the map with her free hand. "This is where we found Sam and his wife. They said they had met a man coming from somewhere north. He was babbling about getting away from some sort of camp and how someone was going to kill him. Sam said he seemed pretty out of it. Possibly bit and slowly turning." She moved her finger over to the map and tapped on a section. "While it's probably nothing, we shouldn't risk going that way if we don't have to. To be safe we sound stay south. Maybe head to Mount Vernon?"

Ryan ran a hand over his blonde and grey beard. After a moment of thought he nodded. "We got a lot of harvesting to do still, think you can do it a bit short handed?"

"Of course" Riley replied. "I'll take the Ty and Jer, maybe one other person. We'll still be able to hit a fair amount of spots with four bodies. We'll be out for a couple days."

After coming to an agreement, Riley rose from her chair. She stretched out her now numb legs and exited the room. As she walked the narrow halls, she passed various members going about their jobs. Most said hello or offered smile, while others were so involved in their work they didn't notice anyone around them. Her boots clicked on the white tiled stairs and she bounced down the stairs to the main floor. She made a quick stop in the kitchen to see Rose and go over the supply list her and Ryan made. The older woman had added a few things before wishing the girl a safe trip. Riley headed out to the yard to find Tyson and Jeremy and inform them of their upcoming journey. A slender hand reached up to shield her eyes from the glaring sun as she walked out into the day. She found the men strolling around the perimeter, double checking the fence as they went.

"How are my favourite track stars?" she said with a grin.

Tyson elbowed Jeremy, his own grin pulling at hip full lips. "Oh on, I have a bad feeling about this."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Pack your bags boys, we're going on a field trip!"


	2. The Supply Run

Riley stared down at the corpse in front of her with her lips pulled into a frown. They'd been on this supply run for what felt like a week now, and the only thing they'd found were walkers. She let out a sigh as she brought the metal pole back down on the walkers head. One could never be too careful. Brown eyes darted around the room to make sure there were no others. Every abandoned house started to look the same, just a different colour of paint here and there but always blood and decay. This room happened to have faded pastel pink walls that would have been quite nice in their prime. Now they were caked with dried blood, a matching freshly killed walker splayed across the dirty carpet. Flicking a piece of dark hair out of her face she stepped over the body and exited the room. "All clear up here" she called down the stairs to the others. She heard a young woman named Sofia give an affirmation before heading up the stairs. Riley leaned against the wall, looking out the neighboring window. She heard Sofia call her from behind and turned to see the red head standing at the top of the steps.

"Down stairs is stripped clean Ri" the 20 something said. It was evident she'd grown up in the south by the honey like drawl to her words. "Someone's definitely been here already."

Riley cursed under her breath. "This is the third one this month." It was getting too risky. It was looking more likely that they would run into someone on their runs nowadays. Sofia simply stared at her with a worried look, knowing the other woman had been talking more to herself than Sofia. Riley ran a hand over her face and looked at the metal rod in her hand then to the gun on her hip. Their group had a minimal amount of weapons. Mostly they just had knives, a handful of guns along with ammo, and whatever they could find that could be used as a weapon. If they ran into another group they wouldn't really be able to defend themselves if they weren't friendly. The group had no other option though. They were running out places to grab supplies so they had no choice but to start to venture out further. However it was starting to look like they were walking into someone else's turf. Biting her lip, she looked out the window again.

 _Shit_.

A truck was pulling up the drive way to the house and it wasn't one of theirs. Riley pushed passed Sofia, grabbing the other woman and pulling her along. "Tyson we've got company!"

Tyson met them at the bottom of the stairs and nodded towards the front door. The sound of the truck's engine being cut and doors slamming could be heard from the front. The trio pressed themselves against the walls near the door. Riley tilted her head towards the window and saw two men standing a couple feet from the porch. "Tyson" she whispered, "go meet Jer at the truck. Sofia and I will make sure they enter through the front before sneaking out the back. Make sure the truck is running." Tyson nodded, double checking the men were still there before he made a move to leave. He looked just in time to see another man rounded the corner with a gun pressed firmly between the shoulder blades of Jeremy. The situation kept getting worse. Before Riley could say anything Tyson had lunged to the front door and swung it open.

"Let him fucking go!" he screamed while waving his gun at the three new comers. Riley hissed for him to stop but he was already out the door. Sofia followed Tyson out, despite the Riley telling her not to, her metal pole held out in front of her.

The brunette took a deep breath, fighting the urge to run out as well. Instead she surveyed the scene before her. It seemed to just be the three men but they held the upper hand with Jeremy. She chewed her lip as she tried to thing of a plan. Tyson could be heard threatening the men again and their muffled reply for him to lower his weapon. As quietly as she could, Riley made for the back door. She wasn't sure what she'd do but she knew nothing would come from added another body to the front. Her brain was running a thousand miles a minute and she was trying to think as clearly as she could with her heart pounding in her ears. She was glad to see no one around behind the house, almost completely confident now that there were only 3 newcomers. As the brunette approached the side of the house she heard one of the men shout at Sofia. They had noticed her eyes darting back to the door, giving away Riley previous location.

"There's someone else" a soft but strong voice said. " watch these two, I'll go look."

Riley pressed herself against the side of the house as she heard footsteps approach. Her heart pounded in her chest even quicker than before. She had one shot or else they were utterly fucked. Exhaling slowly, she listened to the sound of boots against gravel getting closer. Just as the man rounded the corner she swung her elbow upwards and into his chin. He stumbled back, allowing Riley to spin him around and press her gun to his temple. Long hair brushed against Riley's face with the motion and his beard pricked at her forearm as it pressed against his throat.

He let out a soft chuckle. "Well I wasn't expecting that."

The woman guided him forward and around the corner. "Let's not do anything hasty now". Riley's voice was steady but her heart was shaking with adrenaline and fear.

"I"m sure we can figure this all out like reasonable people" the man said. He gestured for his comrades to lower their weapons, which they did with weary glances. A pregnant pause sat in the air until suddenly the man before Riley moved with speed she had not expected. He quickly grabbed the arm around his throat and pulled Riley forward by her elbow. He twisted his body to the left as he succeeded in throwing her off balance and fall forward. Still firming grasping her arm the man twisted the limb behind her back and forced her to her knees. Stars danced in front of her brown eyes and she knelt in the gravel driveway. Just as Riley caught her breath they heard a gun shot. Her eyes shot up and widened at the sight before her. A few feet away was Sofia, gripping her now bleed thigh as she lay on the ground. Riley scrambled out of the long haired man's grasp and over to her friend. She heard him curse behind her before joining the redhead's side.

"What the hell, Clive?" the man hissed.

The man named Clive approached the growing group besides Sofia. He had short blonde hair and a nervous look in his blue eyes. He couldn't have been more than early twenties. By now, Tyson and Jeremy had crouched down beside the fallen woman.

"I'm sorry, Jesus!" Clive whispered. "She ran and I got nervous."

Riley took a moment from trying to stop Sofia's bleeding to glance at the long haired man she know knew as Jesus. She raised an eyebrow, to which he offered a sheepish smile in return. "Its a long story."

The third man of Jesus' party came over with supplies from the truck. He handed the dark haired man a piece of gauze and a wrapping for the wound. Riley grabbed the army knife from her pocket, the one she always carried in case of emergencies. She wouldn't question why this man was now helping them, not until after they stopped Sofia's bleeding and got her to safety. She wouldn't be surprised if the walkers could already smell the fresh blood.

"Hope you weren't a huge fan of these pants Sof" Riley said with a small smile. Sofia gave a weak laugh and nodded for the brunette to continue. Riley made a small cut in the jean right above the mid thigh wound. She dipped two fingers under the rough material and held it away from the skin. She continued to cut around until there was enough space to put her whole hand in. Grabbing both sides of the fabric Riley tore the rest of the material. Once it was discarded, Jesus applied a sanitation wipe to it. The redhead hissed and gripped Riley's shoulder. Jesus then put the gauze over top of the wound and began winding the wrapping around Sofia's thigh. Once he was done, he helped lift Sofia up and put her between Tyson and Jeremy. The two men draped an arm over their necks and wrapped one of their own around hers for support.

Much to Riley's surprise, the dark haired man turn to her with a kind smile and held our his hand.

"We'll that all turned out different than we had expected. Let me introduce myself. The name's Jesus."


	3. Good People

As soon as Jesus had stopped the bleeding and wrapped Sofia's wound, Riley was ready to part ways. It would take a day or two to get back to the firehouse and she was worried that the wound would become infected if Kyle didn't look at it in time. She hadn't expect Jesus to play nice after and introduce himself like they were at a cocktail party. She'd learned from previous experiences that small groups of people didn't look as clean or have the lack of desperation that Jesus's trio had. They were part of something bigger, like Riley and her friends, and had had some sort of safe house some where. This new situation made the brunette's stomach churn. Could they just part ways and be done? Life was all about survival now, and survival meant supplies. Riley was positive they were as curious about her and her supplies as she was about theirs. The brunettes hesitation to respond to his introduction and outstretched hand didn't anger or offend Jesus it seemed. The long haired man seemed to sense her trepidation about him as he retracted his hand and offered an option of his own.

"Allow us to take your friend to our camp" he said with a kind smile. "We never meant to injury anyone, just scare you guys off. We're not like... others. We aren't violent. We just wanted the supplies we weren't able to take with us last time. As an apology, let our doctor patch your friend up. We know how valuable ever person is."

Riley didn't said anything. She continued to stare at Jesus, mulling over his idea but still not completely convinced. Jesus continued anyways, "our camp is most likely closer than yours since we've never seen you in these parts before now."

The whole situation was too bizarre. No one was that nice. She tried to think if she would be offering the same thing if the situations were reversed but she couldn't say for sure. She was brought back to reality by Sofia's fingers tightening around her arm, obviously not liking the thought of going away with strangers. "How close?" She asked.

"Less than a few hours" Jesus replied.

The brunette frowned. "She's wouldn't go alone. I'd come too." The man simply nodded. Riley still found the situation hard to believe. She ran a hand over her pulled back hair and let out a sign through her nose. "How do we know this isn't some kind of set up? You have no reason to help us."

The man's eyes filled with a dark emotion Riley hadn't been expect as they flickered to the ground for a moment. "I'd like to say I'm pretty good at reading people, and I feel like you and your friends are good people. Our group has had some run ins with another recently and they aren't like us. I think in this world good people need to stick together." Riley could tell there was more to the story but she didn't pry. Instead she offered an alternative to his offer.

"I'll come with you and our injured member. The other two will go back to our camp and tell the others where we went. They'll come collect us and we'll be out of your hair."

The man named Clive grabbed Jesus's arm, "Gregory will be furious if we tell a bunch of strangers where the Hilltop is."

"I'll deal with Gregory. These people need our help right now Clive, and we may need theirs in the future" Jesus replied, his eyes never leaving Riley's.

The brunette nodded, not entirely sure what he had meant but was content with the present situation. She held out here hand as she said, "my name is Riley. The two men are Tyson and Jeremy and the woman you shot is Sofia."

Jesus flinched slight at the woman's jab but kept his smile on his lips. "A pleasure to meet you all. I do apologies again, Sofia."

The redhead gave a tight smile in return. Jesus seemed unfazed as he instructed Clive to assist with getting Sofia into the truck and the other nameless man to start the vehicle. Jeremy stood next to Riley as the long haired man began to explain where his camp was located.

* * *

"Tell me more about this other group. You said they weren't like us. What do you mean by that?"

Riley's question hung in the air for a moment as she sat with Jesus in the back of the pick up truck. The pair swayed with the movement of the vehicle, the others safely inside the cabin.

Jesus's eyes got dark again as he looked out at the passing fields beside them. "I think this world brings out the true nature of people. Good people tend to find each other, as do the bad. This other group is a lot of bad. They don't care about consequences or moral values. They're not like us. We didn't shoot on arrival. We tried to get you guys to lower your weapons with the intention of letting you leave unharmed just without supplies. You could have killed me instead of trying to reason with us. Its about survival, yeah, but we still value life. This other group..." he turned to look at Riley, " they don't care. They believe everything is theirs for the taking. If you disagree or tried to take something back, they'd kill you without hesitation. I mean some people in the group don't like it. You can tell when they come around that they're uncomfortable with his violence, but others are just as bad as their leader. They feed off the fear and blood. I've never seen a man who loved violence so much." The brunette did nothing to hide the displeasure in her face. Jesus still continued. "Gregory made a deal with them the first time they showed up, and we haven't always be able to hold up our end. When we don't, the kill one of us at random."

"How many have you lost to them?" She asked slowly.

Blue eyes flickered to the floor of the truck. "Two", Jesus replied.

The brunette frowned. "So this Gregory, is he in charge then?" Jesus gave a small nod as an answer to the question, so she asked another. "Why did he even make a deal with this group?"

The man shrugged. "They can be a persuasive bunch. Made a few threats and Gregory caved. Although now we've seen that they do follow through."

They were silent for a moment, both people absorbing the weight of the state of affairs. They watched the scenery go by, the sun causing the shadows of the trees to stretch across and cover the road. A strong wind blew over them, strands of brown hair fluttering around. Riley couldn't imagine being in such a situation. Ryan would never put their group in something like that, she thought at least. While she didn't have the greatest first impression of this Gregory, she had to believe that there was some good reason as to why the man would put his people in this situation. The woman reached up and pulled out the elastic holding her hair, the wind having pulling strands free. She left it down as another wind blew through, letting her hands rest in her lap. Despite trying to think of something else to talk about, there was one question kept plaguing her mind.

"What was the deal?"

Jesus replied without taking his eyes off the passing forest. "Half of our stuff. Any time they visit. Although they choose what is considered half and what stuff they want. Mainly supplies."

Riley blinked in surprise. That wasn't a deal, that was submission. A group like that obviously had weapons and some loose moral. It was probably evident from the beginning that Jesus' group couldn't simply refuse. At least that what she told herself to make sense of why they would agree to something like that. A voice in her head told her to keep quiet until she spoke with Ryan, but she felt her heart clench at the look in Jesus' eyes. They needed their help.

"Maybe we could help you guys out. You seem like nice people. Nice people need to stick together right?" She offered a small smile with her words.

Jesus finally turned his bright eyes to Riley again, a small glimmer of happiness back in them. "I'm not going to pretend I wasn't hoping you'd offer. Gregory... he talks big but doesn't really contribute. He always talks about finding a solution or something but really just waits for others too. I'm worried for the people of our community. We can't keep up with the Savior's demands and we can't continue to lose people for it. I doubt they'll ever change their tune so it'll be like this until we're all dead."

Riley let out a sharp breath through her nose. "You're kidding me with that name right? They don't actually call themselves the Saviors?"

"Yup. And their community is called the Sanctuary, can you believe that?" Jesus answered with a small laugh. "Well... this is us."

The trucked slowed in front of a gate that was starting to creak open. It pulled through and was met with a few gathered faces, one in particular that looked quite angry. As they came to a stop Jesus stood, followed by Riley. He hopped out of the truck bed and offered his hand to the brunette. Once they were both on solid ground they turned to face the approaching angry man. Before he wad upon them Jesus leaned into Riley.

"Don't judge the people of Hilltop based on Gregory. We're good people here." All Riley could do was nod as the man before them started shouting.

"Who are _they_?" he bellowed. The man didn't even bother to introduce himself but Riley already knew who was in front of her. He was older than she expected, probably around Ryan's age. His hair was grey and thinning minus his goatee which was a dark blonde. His brows seems to be in a permanent furrowed state given the deep set lines at his nose. While his grey-green eyes seemed angry, Riley could see a glimmer of fear in them. "What the hell, Jesus? You leave for supplies and come back with strays? I didn't authorize this!"

Brown eyes narrowed at the man. Did he just call her people strays?

"Gregory please" Jesus said in a tone that was more exasperated than pleading. "They helped us fed off a large group of walkers that had blocked the road. We injured one of them by accident, we had no choice. It wouldn't have be right to leave them after that."

Riley was surprised by the man's lie, but more so at how his fellow members nodded in agreement with the claim. Gregory seemed to relax a bit as the wheels in his head started to turn.

"They helped you, hmm?" Gregory turned to Riley, "do you have weapons?"

"Enough" the brunette replied. It was a small lie but she didn't think it mattered at this point. She was catching onto this game quick enough. "Anything we lack in that department we make up for in skill."

The older man nodded in silence, his mind formulating an idea. "Clive, Bobby, take the injured one to medical. Jesus, you and the woman come with me."

* * *

Thank you everyone for the follows and favs. A big thank you to QuirkyRevelations and belladu57 for your reviews. It's a great feeling to hear that you guys like the story so far. This will probably be the last update for 2016, so see you all in 2017!

xox


	4. Partnership

Riley had been at Hilltop for almost a week now, and it had been better than she had expected. The people were very kind, asking her about her life and her group. Life there was very similar to that of the Firehouse. Everyone had a role and a daily routine. The appearance of Sofia and herself had shaken the daily flow of the compound initially but after a few hours no one seemed concerned by them. The brunette assumed it had something to do with the effect Jesus had on his people and their trust in his judgement. If they had shown up with any other member she doubted the situation would be the same. She assumed he must have passed some sort of verbal memo around their first night there. Yes, Riley could see the Firehouse and Hilltop having a fruitful partnership. The only bump so far, other than Sofia getting shot, was Gregory. That man was insufferable. He was unbelievably egotistical and controlling. Luckily Jesus seemed to know how to work the older man and was able to convince him of the Firehouse's value to them. All they had to do was wait for Ryan and the others to arrive so they could discuss the idea as a group, a simply task which Gregory was making impossible. Riley had explained to him the distance of their home and how long it would take the others to reach Hilltop, yet it had been barely 6 days and the man was growing impatient. He was constantly bringing Riley and Jesus into his office to complain about how long it was taking. If Riley ever needed to discribe this man to an outsider, she would simply show them the office and they would have all they needed to know

Gregory's office was exactly what one would imagined a man like him would have. It was overly lavish with deeps coloured walls and pale crown molding, plants of different sizes scattered around. There were large paintings on the walls with various nick knacks on all the unnecessary tables. Most of the room's contents held no value or necessity, they were just there so show a high status. It was the type of room a person would have to impress others post Apocalypse, although Riley had no idea who Gregory was trying to impress now. Every time the woman would walk into the office it was the same thing. The balding man would sit in the plush chair behind the desk with his hands folded in his lap and his brows deeply furrowed. He would complain, not necessarily to or at them more so just for the sake of complaining. After an hour or so they would be given 'permission' to leave. It always left a bad taste in the woman's mouth, like she was a child being reprimanded by a school principle. That wasn't the worst part though. Riley could handle the man's self-righteousness, but it was Gregory's condescension towards her that she couldn't take. He spoke to her like she was small, inferior, and worthless. Like she _owed_ him something. Riley noticed Gregory spoke that way with many of the Hilltops residents. She had taken to doing breathing exercises during her moments with the balding man to stop herself from strangling him where he stood.

Despite the annoyance of Gregory, Riley's time at the Hilltop had been quite enjoyable. She spent most of her time with Jesus, who had been sharing his quarters with her. She learned his real name was Paul Rovia but went by Jesus since before the apocalypse started. He explained to her that he was born in California in a white panel house near a beach she hadn't heard of. He was vague about his relationships with his parents and siblings, only saying that it was what drove him to run away to Vegas on his seventeenth birthday. There, Jesus got into the art of escapology and became a street performing on the strip. Living in a house with a group of performers drove his off duty life to consisted of drugs, sex, theft, and all kinds of unsavory antics. For 3 years that was all he knew, his street act earning him the name Jesus due to his talent and appearance. When he was 23 he met the love of his life, Nathan. As soon as Jesus started talking about the man, his eyes grew distant and his voice more passionate. Nathan had been a firefighter in New York and had come to Vegas for a friend's bachelor weekend. He had been tanned with blonde hair, which was apparently never Jesus' type before. He had seen Jesus performing on the street then later at a restaurant with some friends. He introduced himself as a fan and the two got to talking.

"We exchanged numbers and kept in electronic contact for about a year" he had said. There was such love in the brown haired man's voice as he spoke that Riley could almost feel it. "The next year consisted of travelling back and forth to visit each-other until it became apparent we both wanted to be more than long distance friends."

In the 2 years of friendship Nathan had worked to get Jesus off drugs and lifestyle that accompanied it. He eventually asked Jesus to move in with him in New York which the man accepted. "After that was the best 3 years of my life" he had said in a low tone. "Nathan and I talked about getting married, maybe adopting a baby. It was just after my twenty fifth birthday that we found out he had cancer. A year and a half later he was gone. My whole world came crashing down that day."

The woman's heart broke for the man in that moment. A long silence had followed, Riley unsure of what to say and Jesus lost in his memories. After a while he ended the conversation by saying how his life was in a haze for a year after that before the world all went to hell. It was a feeling Riley knew too well. The aimlessness and the emptiness. While her past was filled with less love and devotion than Jesus's she felt a bond with the man. It was nice meeting someone else hadn't been living the dream before the walking dead took over the earth.

The pair now sat on the roof of Jesus's trailer, staring across the compound as people began to start their daily tasks. They were enjoying each others company and silence, having grown quite fond of one another in the time they'd spent together so far.

"I don't think I've properly thanked you yet" Jesus said as he stared out into the vast sky.

Riley blinked at him, "for what?"

"For offering to help. I really think we can aid each other in surviving this world." The man turned and smiled at her.

She chuckled. "Well, thanks for not blowing our heads off in that house."

"You're welcome" he replied, laughed as well. "You know, I think it was a bit of fate we ran into you guys when and how we did. We don't normally socialize outside our walls. Just take what we can when there's a blind eye and leave. We were all kinda off that day. The Saviors had been by that day and... well you know. We weren't on our 'A' games and didn't want to see any more death."

Riley gave Jesus' shoulder a small squeeze. "We'll figure this out. You won't be short the next time they come."

Before Jesus could reply they heard shouting.

"Visitors at the gate!"

Riley's heart sped up as she climbed off the roof. She was sure it was her people, although she could see the trepidation in Jesus' eyes that it could be the Saviors. The pair climbed up to where the member watching the gate stood guard. The brunette woman recognized the black pickup trunk and the male behind the wheel. She nodded to Jesus, who then gave the order to let the visitors in. Riley and Jesus were back on the ground by the time the car pulled through. The engine was cut and a tall brunette man climbed out of the drivers side. Riley smiled as she appoached him, walking into his outstreched arms which he wrapped around her

"Thank god you're okay" Kyle mumbled into her hair. Riley hugged him back as she replied, "you didn't need to worry. They're good people here."

The twins broke apart and the woman turned to face the other two men that had arrived. She smiled at Jeremy, who smiled in return, but tensed up at the frown that covered Ryan's face. Silence hung in the air for a moment. Suddenly Ryan reached forward and pulled Riley into a hug as well.

"Dangerous move, kid" he grumbled. "Luckily it turned out well."

Riley smiled as they pulled apart. "Sorry boss."

The older man rolled his eyes at her before turning towards Jesus. "I'm Ryan" he said with his hand in front of him, "thanks for your hospitality for our two ladies here."

Jesus offered a soft smile in return and shook Ryan's outstretched hand. "It was our pleasure."

Riley introduced the rest of the boys. "Jesus, this is my brother Kyle and you remember Jeremy form the house in the country." He nodded. "Boys, this is Jesus."

She turned now to Ryan, knowing there was no use in beating around the bush with her idea. "Jesus and I got to talking, and I think we could really benefit from forming a partnership with them. It's tough out there for everyone, and they're good people here."

Ryan raised and eyebrow at Riley. She opened her mouth to speak again but was cut off by the guard at the gate.

"Saviors at the gate!"


	5. New Friends

"Saviours at the gate!"

The crowd around the gate visibly tensed. Time seemed to stand still, everyone holding their breath as they willed themselves against running away. No one moved for a second, until Jesus started speaking in a harsh whisper.

"Nobody panic! Just do what we're told and say nothing unless you're spoken too." He started directing people as the gate started to creak open. In a low voice Jesus tried to reassure his fellow residents, whispering comforting words to them as he passed. Riley and the others stood off to the side of the commotion in a stunned silence. What kind of person would command this type of submission? Jesus passed by them, but not before putting a hand on Riley's arm. "I'm sorry, they weren't supposed to come for another month." Riley could see the flickers of fear in the man's eyes as he held her gaze. The brunette nodded before Jesus hurried off to another group of people.

A large truck and a van pulled through the now open gate. They were relativity clean, having probably driven from the other compound straight to the Hiltop. The bed of the truck was empty, clearly here to be filled with the fruits of the residents labours. The vehicles parked near the gate as it closed and engines were cut. Two men armed with guns climb ed out of the truck. Their faces were pulled into frowns and their eyes darted around to try and spot any threats. The men walked over the to front of the group of Hilltop residents with their guns raised. People took small steps closer to their neighbors in evident fear. Two men then climbed out of the van. One had stringy blonde hair and what looked like a bad burn on the side of his face, while the other had a dark mustache and eyes that had an unsavory twinkle to them. The blonde man looked rather uncomfortable in the situation but the other man seemed to be enjoying the sick display of power. They walked over to the others but kept their guns resting on their shoulders. An eerie silence filled the Hilltop as a door of the van swung open and the driver got out of the second vehicle.

Riley could feel the tension thicken in the air as heavy boots crunch on the ground. A tall man walked around the door of the van, denim-clad legs taking long strides towards the other men. The sleeves of his leather jacket pull at his muscular arms as they swayed at his side. Riley's brown eyes widened at the barbed wire bar that hung from one of the man's gloved hands. Power seemed to ooze from him, but his presence created fear instead of respect. It was apparent he was the leader of this horrible group, the one Jesus called Negan. He had dark hair brushed back and a salt and pepper beard. A large smile pulled at his full lips as he stood between his men and the people of Hilltop, but the friendliness was overshadowed by the malice in his eyes. He swung his arms out at his sides as he shouted.

"You all know the fucking drill! The King has arrived!"

Slowly, each member of Hilltop that was before him lowered themselves to a kneeling position. Riley's eyes darted around in confusion. This couldn't be real. While she hadn't been at the compound for long, the inhabitants had seemed like nice normal people. Who was this man that could make these people kneel before him like servants? Suddenly she felt a warm hand wrap around her wrist. She looked down to see Ryan's hand on her arm. She went to meet his gaze but his pale eyes were staring straight ahead. He gave a small shake of his head without looking at her and began lowering himself to the ground. With his hand still gripping her wrist, Riley followed suit. She glanced to her left to see Jeremy and Kyle already down with their eyes locked onto the men before them.

"Now, doesn't that feel better?" Negan laughed. "This is how it's supposed to fucking work. So what do you fuckers have for us this time? Hopefully more than last fucking time." His amber eyes scanned the crowd. "Now, where the fuck is my good old friend Gregory? Don't be shy Greggy, come out and say hell-fucking-o!"

As if on cue, huffing and hurried footfalls were heard from behind. Gregory came racing over from the building where his office was. He came to a halt in front of his people and doubled over. After a moment of catching his breath he straightened and offered a tight grimace to the leader of the Saviors. "A-ah, N-negan. I, uhm, we weren't ex-pecting you so soon. Let's go to my office to-" Gregory's stammering came to an abrupt stop as a barbed wire bat came to rest on his left shoulder. Negan's smile dropped and a hard frown settled on his face. Amber eyes flickered angrily as they stared into Gregory's before darting to the ground between them then back up. It took a moment for the older man to understand but he slowly lowered himself to one knee.

"Atta fucking boy" Negan hissed.

Riley let out a quiet breath she didn't know she was holding. For a moment she thought the man was going to bludgeon Gregory with the bat. It was apparent that violence like that was probably right up this man's alley and she hoped she would never have to witness that. If they could just get through this visit then they could go back to the Firehouse. Maybe offering Jesus their help was a mistake. What could her group do to help anyone against a group like this?

Negan raised his voice to a commanding shout as he addressed the residents of the Hilltop before him. "It seems like you all have fucking forgotten how this shit works! I OWN you fuckers. This whole fucking place belongs to me. When I say jump you say how mother fucking high! When I arrive, you get on your fucking knees. I call the fucking shots. I decide when we come and what we fucking take. I offer you all protection from the living fucking dead and this is the thanks I get? Fucking attitude about when we come, killing fucking walkers on our way I may fucking add. I. Run. This. Shit. Is that fucking clear?." The crowd of Hilltop residents were practically shaking in fear by the end. Riley could only imagine how terrified they were that these people would murder another one of their own. No one said anything, silence filling the air. Riley hoped the Saviors would take what they wanted and go without anymore trouble. Negan started to pace across the crowd. He turned his broad back towards where Riley and her group were kneeling and took long strides in front of the scared faces.

"Isn't this easier?" she heard him say. The barbed wire bat was settled on the man's leather clad shoulder as his walked. No one answered. "Good."

He continued to pace in silence for a couple seconds before speaking again. "Now, it would seem we've made some new friends."

Riley felt her breath hitch in her throat as Negan's amber eyes turned to her group. Her heart beat in rhythm with each of his slow footfalls towards them. He stopped in front of Ryan. "So, new friends, where are you all from?"

"A firehouse about two days travel from here." Ryan's voice was steady when he spoke.

Negan nodded, his smile never faltering. "And how do we fucking know the people of Hilltop?"

Riley started speaking before her brain could tell her what a bad idea it was. "They shot one of our own by accident. Their camp was closer so we came here to patch her up."

Negan turned his amber eyes to the brunette. "Well ain't that fucking nice of them." His eyes darted to Kyle beside her before back to her. "Jesus fucking Christ, you two look fucking similar. It's weirding me the fuck out."

"We're twins" Kyle said in a dry tone, "obviously."

Negan laughed as he waved the bat in front of Kyle's nose. "Easy on the attitude, buddy. Don't want me to make your sister's skull into a puddle do ya? I do hate killing the pretty ones too."

The woman's nose involuntarily scrunched in disgust and her brown eyes narrowed. With so much adrenaline flowing in her and nowhere to run her body started going into 'fight' mode. She stayed planted on her knee though, hands curling into fists at her sides. Amber eyes held her gaze for a moment before Negan tilted his body back a let out a loud laugh. He placed the bat back on his shoulder and started to walk around the small group. "Since we're all friends now, let me en-fucking-lighten you to how this friendship works. We are the Saviours, pretty bad ass right? We own your asses now. You and everyone else at you little fucking camp work for me. You'll farm, hunt, scavange, whatever the fuck you need to to make sure when we come a-fucking-knockin' you have something to share with your dear friends. Fuck up, and I'll beat one of you into the ground with Lucille." He paused, having completed a full circle around them and stopping back in front. "Oh how fucking rude of me! This beauty is Lucille." The bat waved in the air an inch away from Jeremy's face. "She vicious, loves to teach fuckers a lesson in respect. So don't piss her off."

Negan continued on his track around them again. "Now to make sure you guys don't try anything while we're gone, two of you are going to come live and work with us in the Sanctuary." The four newcomers tensed. Dealing with this group from the Firehouse was going to be bad enough, let alone having two of their own at these peoples mercy in their compound.

"I'll go." Ryan's voice was strong but Riley could tell his was shaken by this situation. The brunette saw his eyes widen a fraction when Negan make a disapproving clicking sound from behind him.

"Well ain't that a nice offer. I do like go-getters, but I'm afraid I'm the one who calls the fucking shot here." Out of the corner of her eyes, Riley saw the bat launch into the back of Ryan's head. He fell forward, face planting into the ground. "Let that just be a fucking taste of how the rules work around here. Now get up, it's rude to lay around at a party!" Negan let out a low laugh as Ryan slowly pushed himself back to his knees. A small cut started to bleed at the back of the older man's head but he ignored it. "I can tell you got some sense to you, so I'm assuming you're the fucking ringleader of your little circus. I can't take the ringleader away can I? Who's going to make sure all the fucking animals are ready to dance when we come on by?" Negan paused. Ryan slowly nodded his head without looking to the man behind him. "Perfect" Negan said in an almost growl. Silence filled the air... until Negan suddenly let out a low whistle. "Would ya look at fucking that boys? You gonna do something with the knife, doll?"

All eyes turned to Riley. On instinct she had grabbed the knife from her boot when Ryan was hit. Her arm now hung limply at her side grasping the weapon. Riley felt hot breath hit her neck and she heard a low chuckle. He was kneeling behind her, full lips inches from her ear. "You have spunk kid" he said, "I like that. I've always been a sucker for a woman with a knife." Negan stood to his full height and walked around to stand in front of her. "You're behaving _just_ enough to not get fucking beaten into the ground by Lucille, yet your're not just going to roll over like old Gregory did when we first came. You're not kneeling because you fucking want to, you're kneeling because you know you fucking have to." A malicious grin spread across his face. "Every fiber of you fucking body wants to just drive that knife right into my damn face, eh sweetheart? I see that fight in your eyes, dollface. I like it, and I wanna break it." Negan turned to his men, who had been watching silently throughout the whole thing. "Dwight, grab the girl. Simon, grab the one on the right." He turned to Kyle. "Sorry brother, but having you two together is too fucking creepy for me."

Riley wanted to run. She wanted to fight them off. She wanted to do anything but just sit there as the blonde haired man walked over to her, but she didn't. She just stayed rooted in place until he grabbed her arm and pulled her to standing. Her brown eyes stared ahead as her and Jeremy were pulled towards the van. No one in the open yard made a sound as Negan ordered the two other henchman to grab what the wanted from the compound before heading back. Riley looked back at Ryan and Kyle before she climbed into the truck. Kyle just stared helplessly back, but Ryan's blue eyes were hard and he gave her a nod. She felt a small amount of comfort in that, but it was better than nothing. As she waited for the truck to pull out of the Hilltop her eyes met the blue one of Jesus. He stared at her with a pleading look in his eyes, an apology. He had never meant for this to happened. She gave him a nod before turning her head to stare straight, trying to prepare for what awaited her at The Sanctuary.

* * *

First off let me apologize for the delay. January was way busier than I expected, plus I really wanted this chapter to turn out well as it's our first time meeting Negan and his Saviours. Please let me know what your think of this chapter, Negan's portrayal, and the story so far! Thank you all in advance xoxox


	6. New Life

The Sanctuary was an interesting place. It wasn't so different than the Firehouse, people doing their daily jobs to ensure the livelihood of the community was maintained. The inhabitants were nice, friendly even, immersing the pair after little trepidation. It would seem they were all part of something else at one point before coming there. After being forced to live within it's walls for over a month the grey cloud that hug over the two outsiders started to clear. When Riley arrived she expected to see prisoners. People being forced around and constantly at gun point. She was surprised to see that when they had pulled through the guarded metal gates that first day that the people living being the walls looked the same as those she had back home. There was one thing that was different however. Negan. Ryan was nothing like Negan, no one in the Firehouse came even close the the crazed leader of the Sanctuary. The way his eyes twinkled when he saw someone suffering that he thought deserved was sick. In her opinion, the scariest thing about Negan was his unpredictability. Riley found she could never see what was coming next from the dark haired man. He always wore his charming smile and had a deep laugh on his lips, but his eyes always held a dark fire in them. She always felt like he was looking at her with an intensity, a challenge. And he had challenged her since day one. That seemed so long ago now.

The woman rolled on her back, her unrelenting thoughts stopping any form of sleep from coming to her. She sighed as her eyes stared at the ceiling. Her mind drifted to the day she arrived at the Sanctuary.

 _Riley saw a few weary eyes dart towards the truck as it pulled into the compound. The people of the Sanctuary stopped their tasks and watched curiously as Dwight climbed out. Everything seemed relatively normal until the people saw their leader. It wasn't until the Negan got out that a heavy wave of fear settled in the air. People averted their eyes while some hurried away to continue their tasks elsewhere. The most disturbing part was that some people dropped to their knees, just like the man had commanded at the Hilltop. Negan's heavy boots crunched on the gravel as he took a few steps away from the vehicle before turning back around. Dwight opened the door and gestured with his gun for the pair to get out. Jeremy climbed out first before turning to help Riley out. They turned to face the leader of the compound, unsure of what would happen next._

 _"Welcome to the Sanctuary!" Negan shouted with a large smile. "The best fucking place this side of the apocalypse. Now, we have some rules here. Simple, clear, and un-fucking-breakable. " Riley felt her stomach tighten with worry. "Every fucker has to earn their keep here too, this isn't a fucking charity. So before we welcome you to our fucking family, what are you two going to bring to my fucking table?"_

 _A silence fell as the two newcomers realized he actually wanted an answer. Was he expecting them to say one was a good cook? Jeremy shared a worried side glance with Riley. A look that Negan caught._

 _"Well, come on! What the fuck did you do where ever you came from?What about you, dollface? I'm sure I can always find you a suitable job here if needed." The man laughed. She turned her brown eyes to Negan and scowled at way he wiggled his eyebrows at her. In his damn dreams maybe. "We led the runs back home."_

 _Negan laughed again. "So you're good at killing then, doll?"_

 _Riley's face contorted into a scowl. "Walkers, yeah."_

 _He clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Well, if you wanna be part of our team here your gotta be good a killing the living too sweetheart." He scratched his beard as a malicious twinkled filled his eyes. "Although, we do have some opening after Calvin and his crew got fucked, and I know the perfect was to see if you're Sanctuary material. Dwight, take 'em to the yard."_

The yard. Riley still felt her blood boil every time she saw that place. She tried to avoid it, yet every so often she'd find herself strolling beside it's wire fence and her day would be ruined. While the 'yard' hadn't sound so bad on it's face at first, the small intake of breath from the crowd that had formed around them had let her know it was trouble. She remembered the feeling of dread that filled her when Dwight had let them there by the tip of his gun.

T _he pair stood in front of a large metal fence with an open field behind it. There were large wooden poles scattered throughout grass and the faintest sound of grunting could be heard. Two men came from behind them and pulled the gate open before Dwight nudged them inside. Once the gate was closed Negan spoke from the balcony he now stood on. "Now, I gotta know I can trust you if I'm going to be sending you out with my men. Saying you can handle a run seems like a good way to sneak outta the situation you're in here. So! We're gonna see if you two really are walker killing material. If so, we can work on the killing living fuckers part. We've got some enemies out there, people who don't appreciate the deals we offer and want to take what we have. But first thing is fucking first, I need to see your skills! You wouldn't hire a painter without seeing his work right? So what better way then to put you in a pit full of the living fucking dead. Oh did I not mention that? Yeah, the Yard is where were put the people who don't quite mesh here. You said you can killer walkers, doll, well here ya go!" Negan laughed as he leaned over the rail and smacked his bat against the metal. The grunting sound became more prominent, shuffled footsteps getting close._

 _"Shit" Riley whispered, more to herself than to Jeremy. "I'm sorry I got us into this."_

 _Jeremy reached out and squeezed her arm as he looked around. "Let's focus, Ri. Nothing we can't handle."_

Riley was lucky it had been Jeremy with her. The two had always gotten along and worked well together in planning the runs back home. She trusted Jeremy with her life, and he kept her sane in the messed up situation they now lived in. She turned her head to look at the bed on the other side of the room. Jeremy was still asleep and snoring slightly. They had been lucky they were able to share a room. Riley wasn't sure she wanted to sleep near some stranger. Who knows, they could have been just as crazy as the leader of the Sanctuary. No.. she doubted anyone was like Negan. He lived off of peoples fear and especially the fear of him. That moment in the yard was the day she first saw the true malice and controlled chaos that Negan fueled.

 _Brown eyes scanned the yard. Three more bodies lunched from behind a cluster of wooden poles to Riley's left. She ducked, using both her arms to shove one of the bodies to her other side. She was getting tired and her arms were getting shaky. How long had they been in here? The brunette saw Jeremy grabbed a piece of fallen wood from the ground and thrust it into the second corpse. While she looked around her for a weapon of her own, the third walker stumbled towards her. Riley kicked the walker in the stomach sending it backwards. Behind it she could see more walkers emerging._

 _A loud laugh rang out followed by the sound of metal creaking. The pair turned to see Dwight standing by the now open gate, motioning with his head for them to come out. They did so without hesitation. As the adrenaline started to stop pumping through her veins Riley felt her limbs get heavier and start to burn. Her tired eyes watched as Negan walked down the stairs with a smile on his face._

 _'Well, well, that was quite a fucking show. You guys got spunk! While I do_ love _spunk, I like fuckers who follow they rules and listen to orders even more. So, can you two follow rules?" All traces of laughter and twisted mirth left the man's face as he stared hard at Riley and Jeremy. They didn't want to follow any rules or orders put in place by a man like Negan, but if they ever wanted to see the Firehouse again they would have to. So they nodded, slowly lowering themselves to one knee._

 _The dark joy return to Negan's face as he smiled widely. "I gotta say, I like you two already. Dwight, find our two new members some rooms. "_

Now, after a month a being in the compound, they were going on their first run with the Saviors. Riley wasn't sure she's ever be able to call herself that. Stretching her arms above her head, the woman pressed herself deeper into her bed. She needed to get some sleep, who knew what would happen if she wasn't on the top of her game tomorrow.


End file.
